The Batavia Township man who authorities say was the kingpin of a steroid distribution ring pleaded guilty Monday to 12 felony counts in Warren County Common Pleas Court. Ronald Herbort, 45, pled guilty to five counts of fourth degree felony trafficking in drugs, four counts of second degree felony trafficking in drugs, two counts of second degree felony possession of drugs and one count of first degree felony engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.

Prosecutors dropped four counts of possession of drugs and three counts of trafficking in drugs, all felonies. Andy Sievers, an assistant Warren County prosecutor, said the charges were dropped because of Herbort’s cooperation and assistance. Herbort will be sentenced June 18.

Last November authorities announced they had busted the network that included at least 24 people. The investigation started in January 2010 when authorities received two separate complaints about steroid abuse at the Lebanon YMCA. No steroids were sold inside the YMCA. Authorities have said the ring operated with Herbort buying products from a Tennessee lab that imported steroid powder from China, mixing it with olive oil and packaging it in vials for distribution. Customers were charged $85 to $125 per vial. Each vial cost $25 to produce.

Herbort’s alleged No. 2 man was 37-year-old Matthew Geraci, formerly of Sycamore Township. Geraci allegedly took orders for steroids via text messaging and stocked the supply in 18 lockers at a Blue Ash office complex. Each locker was assigned to a distributor-customer. Locker holders would retrieve the steroids, leave payment, lock the locker and notify Geraci via text message. Geraci is scheduled for a jury trial in June on 30 felony counts of trafficking in drugs, possession of drugs and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.

Another key player in the ring was Geraci’s former fiancée – 28-year-old Jessica Howard, formerly of Sycamore Township. She is serving a 5-year sentence after a jury in March convicted her on two counts of trafficking in drugs and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, all felonies.

Yes.All moral arguments aside..but its about as safe as plastic surgery,botox,tanning beds and the usual vices.pot use is practically mainstreamed now.maybe the law will change.Gh15 said mccain would make hormones legal etc..he hates them more than anyone besides biden.oh well.

The argument here is simplistic to the point where it appears logical. It's not.

AAS has definite affects on the brain, and the combined affect on the body, as well as its high attrition rate for those who abuse it, make it a potential social problem. You cant compare it to smoking, as thats a legacy problem that is beyond fixing via legal avenues.

You are a fool if you think AAS is benign or "not as much of a problem as..."

Still, this being the forum it is, i expect many reasons why it should be legal and justification for its continued use, as well as underestimation of its damaging effects on the body, psychii and physiology...not to mention the flow on problems they cause.

The argument here is simplistic to the point where it appears logical. It's not.

AAS has definite affects on the brain, and the combined affect on the body, as well as its high attrition rate for those who abuse it, make it a potential social problem. You cant compare it to smoking, as thats a legacy problem that is beyond fixing via legal avenues.

You are a fool if you think AAS is benign or "not as much of a problem as..."

Still, this being the forum it is, i expect many reasons why it should be legal and justification for its continued use, as well as underestimation of its damaging effects on the body, psychii and physiology...not to mention the flow on problems they cause.

The argument here is simplistic to the point where it appears logical. It's not.

AAS has definite affects on the brain, and the combined affect on the body, as well as its high attrition rate for those who abuse it, make it a potential social problem. You cant compare it to smoking, as thats a legacy problem that is beyond fixing via legal avenues.

You are a fool if you think AAS is benign or "not as much of a problem as..."

Still, this being the forum it is, i expect many reasons why it should be legal and justification for its continued use, as well as underestimation of its damaging effects on the body, psychii and physiology...not to mention the flow on problems they cause.

Do you educate your self, or just listen to the media? You are really trying to compare AAS use to that of cigarettes? A real social problem? AAS does not cause cancer. Explain to us with facts how AAS is a social problem please?

The argument here is simplistic to the point where it appears logical. It's not.

AAS has definite affects on the brain, and the combined affect on the body, as well as its high attrition rate for those who abuse it, make it a potential social problem. You cant compare it to smoking, as thats a legacy problem that is beyond fixing via legal avenues.

You are a fool if you think AAS is benign or "not as much of a problem as..."

Still, this being the forum it is, i expect many reasons why it should be legal and justification for its continued use, as well as underestimation of its damaging effects on the body, psychii and physiology...not to mention the flow on problems they cause.

Can you provide any data to support what you're saying? I'm referring to the brain and body related effects you are referring to. I'm not being an ass, I honestly asking.

Here is some factual data.

*During the steroid hearings leading to the Steroid Control Act of 1990, the AMA, FDA, NIDA and DEA all stated there was no evidence anabolic steroids held any mentally addicting or altering characteristics necessary to Schedule the substances. Congress would then respond with its normal comment that this wasn't about healthy effects more than it was protecting sports and children...the same comment used when passing the Steroid Control Act of 2004. In short, congress had to break its own law to Schedule anabolic steroids as they did not meet the requirement necessary to Schedule a substance. The same would apply to the physical damaging effects; the AMA would state there was no evidence and on this basis stated "We vehemently oppose the ban" a statement shared by the other health and law enforcement agencies.

*Former U.S. Olympic Team physicians, I can't remember the exact yr, it was the 1990's stated after much research the effects of anabolic steroids on the brain appear to be so small they cannot be measured if they exist at all. They were referring to the mind altering effects often purported, not to testosterones relationship to mental health.

*1996, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) releases its study "The Effects of Supraphysiologic Doses of Testosterone on Muscle Size and Strength in Normal Men." There were 40 men in the study ranging from 19 to 49 yrs old, 20 were given 600mg of Testosterone-Enanthate per wk for 10wks. All health and mental factors were measured and evaluated prior to the test. At the conclusion of the test, no health or mental problems were found in a single man, they would even state there were no changes whatsoever in the mood inventory portion of the test and that the family members of each individual reported no changes in mood or behavior.

*In almost 100yrs, there has yet to be a single recorded death directly linked to anabolic steroid use. Not one. Compare this to NSAID painkillers that claim the lives of more than 16,500 Americans alone each and every year.

*For the last decade plus, Dr. Gary Wadler, the leader of the anti-AAS movement, the primary physician called upon by congress and head of the Olympic anti-doping commission has repeatedly stated we don't know what the serious effects of steroids are because we can't do testing because they're too dangerous. How on earth does a comment like that make sense and more importantly, how has it been deemed logical?

I could continue to list countless examples like all of the above, my question again is where is your data? If you quote a government health website, this doesn't count if they make a statement but provide no data to back it up. Most who believe steroids to be the evil they perceive believe so because that's what they've been told countless times without any facts or data to back it up. That's simply the truth. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying there are not potential side-effects, of course there are; if you put anything into your body there are potential side-effects. Some people can't take Aspirin, some people can't drink milk or eat peanuts or it will make them sick. Even vitamins carry some possible horrific side-effects; does this mean we need to Schedule Aspirin, milk, peanuts and vitamins? Further, it has been proven time and time again the side-effects of anabolic steroids can be controlled and largely avoided if you supplement with the intelligence slightly above a plant and are a healthy adult.

what effects on the brain are you referring too?? the whole roid rage thing had been refuted numerous times in studies.. and there is no relationship to roids and various brain disorders like dementia ect.. so where is your evidence..?

Lats, do you think there are scientist doing double blind studies on recreational steroid use by this subculture of bodybuilding? Since it's infancy steroids were described in the PDR as causing a feeling of well being. Anyone who has used steroids will tell you they feel more aggressive and confident using. That's even a know personality trait of going through puberty. The bs studies you refer involving roid rage are biased and even junk science. Many are done by unknown "clinics" in Europe that now one even knows how to get a phone number to.

You guys that are such fans of bodybuilding drugs for aesthetics should be seeing a professional to determine why you have such a fragile ego that you would risk health to impress others. Let me tell you most people laugh at steroid users because the jig is up. They know you couldn't get that build on your own and that's a temporary drug induced look.

I have been a user through my competitive days and now in my older days I run a small amount HRT. Like most drugs AAS can be abused, and whilst banning doesnt stop people using, it is required to control use and abuse in the population, I firmly agree with the ban, Steroid use would increase tenfold if it was legalised, we dont need a higher degree of the population looking like jersey shore than it currently does. Steroid use can be healthy but then so can a glass of alchoal a day, but ask yourself how many who drink do so for health purposes and have one drink a day, why make the same mistake we have already made with alchoal and tobacco by introducing another drug the population can abuse.

I have been a user through my competitive days and now in my older days I run a small amount HRT. Like most drugs AAS can be abused, and whilst banning doesnt stop people using, it is required to control use and abuse in the population, I firmly agree with the ban, Steroid use would increase tenfold if it was legalised, we dont need a higher degree of the population looking like jersey shore than it currently does. Steroid use can be healthy but then so can a glass of alchoal a day, but ask yourself how many who drink do so for health purposes and have one drink a day, why make the same mistake we have already made with alchoal and tobacco by introducing another drug the population can abuse.

Because you're infringing on liberty when you ban the use of anabolic steroids. Same as if you ban alcohol and tobacco. The idea behind protected liberty is that it is protected and you are free to exercise it how you best see fit so as long as your liberty does not infringe on the liberty of another individual. You cannot infringe upon liberty on the basis of protecting the health of a single individual, if you could, this would mean McDonald's Taco Bell, doughnuts and soft drinks would all need to be classified as controlled substances.

If a steroid user is not hurting anyone, as long as his actions are not infringing on the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of another individual he should be free to exercise his liberty as he sees fit. In my opinion, this is what should be the foundation of all thinking as it pertains to any law in the U.S. and based on the known actions of anabolic steroids the law goes against this primary foundational principle of what the United States is supposed to be.

Lats, do you think there are scientist doing double blind studies on recreational steroid use by this subculture of bodybuilding? Since it's infancy steroids were described in the PDR as causing a feeling of well being. Anyone who has used steroids will tell you they feel more aggressive and confident using. That's even a know personality trait of going through puberty. The bs studies you refer involving roid rage are biased and even junk science. Many are done by unknown "clinics" in Europe that now one even knows how to get a phone number to.

You guys that are such fans of bodybuilding drugs for aesthetics should be seeing a professional to determine why you have such a fragile ego that you would risk health to impress others. Let me tell you most people laugh at steroid users because the jig is up. They know you couldn't get that build on your own and that's a temporary drug induced look.

Oh fuck, do you really believe that people here think steroid gains are permanent? Testosterone in male patients on trt are known to feel a feeling of well being. This has been proven. Why are you so sensitive about others wanting to use steroids? Why i your ego so fragile?

oldtimer also has to realize that many of us are in our mid 40's and have been in this game since 1980 or so.. the whole point of our "fragile" egos has little to do with this.. do you laugh (as you state) at everything done to improve ones appearance? do you laugh at the women who gets a boob job? or the person who has any cosmetic surgery at all? those who tan to improve appearance? ll these are done to improve appearance.. and they are also one hell of alot riskier than most use of gear.. tanning booths lead to skin cancer.. many die on the operating table or from complications due to plastic surgery.. the list goes on..

somewhere, an 18 year old girl is dirnking an entire bottle of vodka, wrecking her health, with zero consequence.

but the streets are safer now that this guy can't help people gain more muscle mass.

Somewhere there's a few hundred million people in the U.S. eating junk food for the 50th time this wk eating themselves into fat oblivion and wondering when they'll come out with a prescription drug to help them because obviously life is hard and it's not fair they're so fat...they should be able to drink milk shakes, live off of bar food and drink 3-7 nights a wk and be lean and happy.

Have to laugh at people who are so anti steroids that they cant even be honest about the real side effects. Steroids are no where near as harmful as some like to make them out to be. Thats Why the DEA, AMA, and FDA all wanted AAS to remain legal. As Bryant Gumbel says where are the bodies? THere are none that can be directly related to steroids. So with that being fact, how could someone possibly compare AAS to cigarettes or alcohol?